It is common in the furniture and bedding industries to use springs for support and shock absorption or cushioning beneath the cushion pads of a seat or for bedding. For example, mattresses and box springs typically include coil springs that support the upper pad or panel of the mattress and function to absorb shock and provide support for a user while on the mattress. Similarly, it is common in furniture to use springs beneath a seat cushion for additional comfort and support to persons sitting in a chair or on a sofa, etc. A problem exists, however, in that the springs generally used for mattresses, furniture and other similar applications generally are manufactured to preset standards for consistency and typically have relatively high compression strengths to support heavy loads placed thereon. As a result, the cushioning provided by the springs may be too little for some consumers, i.e., a bed or seat incorporating such springs will be too stiff or unforgiving, while for some others, the bed or seat will be too soft and not provide enough support. Thus, it is difficult to mass-produce bedding, furniture, etc. that accommodates the needs and desires of a larger majority of consumers.
Typically today in the construction of mattresses, box springs, and seating cushions, coil springs, foam, or in the case of bedding, water or air is used as the supporting means for these devices. Typically in mattresses, a combination of foam and coil springs is used today. One of the issues with this construction is the difficulty in providing differential resiliency from top to bottom in the mattress. In some constructions, a combination of foam and springs have been used to increase the rigidity. However, this has resulted in a loss in resiliency. There are some bedding systems which use springs of a type other than coil springs, for example those offered by Strobel Technologies. The Strobel system uses a series of lever springs in order to provide a mattress with controlled resiliency and a different feel from that of a normal innerspring mattress. In addition, the prior art has also shown a mattress using flat sheet metal leaf springs. In general, the standard construction today remains coil springs and foam, with the resulting limitations in control from this particular configuration.
Accordingly, it can be seen that a need exists for a spring construction for use in mattresses, furniture, and other similar types of seating or bedding products that addresses the foregoing and other related problems in the art.